CANGAÇO

OPAVIVARÁ!

Inspired by the demonstrations that took place in Brazil throughout 2013, OPAVIVARÁ! affixed the slogans of protest to beach cangas (a kind of beach wrap/towel). The beaches are usually associated with places of alienation, leisure and rest. However, their power to gathering people from the most varied geographic areas, social classes, religions, genders and races transform these places into a big agora made out of sand, salt and sun, capable of promoting interesting meetings and discussions and debates.

Usually the cangas reflect the image of a vibrant and colorful Brazil. In “Cangaço,” OPAVIVARÁ! makes use of these traditional and popular cangas, dislocating their allegorical vibrations and thus politically activating the space of the beach and generating new relations and reflections through the five imprinted phases: ABAIXO AS CALÇAS (Down With The Pants), XÔ CHOQUE (Go Away Elite Troupe), SURUBA NÃO É FORMAÇÃO DE QUADRILHA (An Orgy Is Not A Conspiracy), TODO O PODER À PRAIA (All Power to the Beach) and ASSASSINARAM O CAMARÃO (They Murdered The Shrimp).

Each phrase has many meanings, a good dose of humor and an acidic irony towards the restricting public politics that followed the street demonstrations. Laid at the beach or around the tanned bodies, the “cangas” are meant to spread their messages around the city as an invitation towards transformation. Just as the demonstrations invaded the streets with the transgressive power of carnival, where propositional slogans were shouted and created an atmosphere that mixed up partying and politics (and that survived even violent repression by the police forces), so the printed phrases aim to reflect the general discontent with the current abuses of power, and to show that this fight is just beginning.

One hundred colorful cangas were produced and distributed for free at Ipanema Beach during the Alalaô event in November 2013.